Fruit Intake and Your Oral Health

There’s a consensus that fruit is part of any well-rounded, healthy diet. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends 1½ to 2 cups of fruit daily. Fruit helps prevent scurvy, vitamin C and vitamin K deficiencies, and several chronic health problems. It also supports your cardiovascular, digestive, and immune systems.

For oral health, getting essential nutrients like vitamin C from the recommended servings of fruit each day helps protect your gums from harmful bacteria. Fibrous fruits help remove plaque and tartar as you chew them. Vitamin B supports cell health and the growth of new, healthy cells throughout your body, including your mouth. Some research suggests that dark berries may reduce the number of harmful bacteria attaching to teeth and gums, and vitamin A supports the building of strong, healthy teeth.

Is There Such a Thing as Too Much Fruit?

Just like anything, it’s possible to go overboard on your fruit intake. Fruit contains a lot of sugar, and citrus fruits have high levels of acid. Sugars feed bacteria and promote tooth decay, and citric acid can erode tooth enamel. Too much sugar can also lead to pre-diabetes and diabetes, both of which have been linked to periodontitis or advanced gum disease. So, as with all food, “too much of a good thing” holds true. It also matters whether you drink or chew your fruit.

The Dangers of Drinking Your Daily Servings of Fruit

Parents often give their young children fruit juice when they’re picky eaters. Maybe they won’t eat an apple, but they’ll drink apple juice. Isn’t it the same? Nope, and it’s true for adults. Some studies suggest that drinking your four daily servings of fruit might do more harm than good.

For instance, too much fruit juice has been linked to cardiovascular disease in adulthood, and cardiovascular disease has strong correlations with the development of periodontitis. As we’ve told many of our patients, similar to soda, fruit juice is high in acids and sugars, and frequent consumptions can increase your risk of cavities.

Eating solid, fibrous fruits, especially at the end of a meal, helps decrease the amount of harmful bacteria on your teeth. Chewing on pieces of some fruits helps your mouth produce more saliva, which cleanses and protects your teeth and gums from whatever you’ve just eaten. If you drink your fruit, you lose all those advantages and leave sugars and acids behind from the juice.

Also, squeezing fruit to make fresh juice without added sugar isn’t the hack you think it is. Freshly made lemonades and orange juices are actually worse for your enamel. You’re likely to compromise your enamel strength after drinking a glass of fresh orange juice, especially if you brush your teeth within 30 minutes after drinking the juice.

When you turn a fruit into juice, you reduce the nutritional impact of the fiber and vitamins. But do you know what doesn’t decrease much? Sugar and acid. Skip the fruit juice and opt for eating the whole fruit instead.

How to Balance Keeping Fruit in Your Diet and Taking Care of Your Teeth

None of this is to say, “Stop drinking fruit! Save your teeth!” You can have your fruit and eat it, too; you’ve just got to be mindful of how you get it, when you eat or drink it, and how well you stick with your brushing and flossing regimen.

• If you drink your fruit, use a straw, and don’t do it over the long term. Follow up with water. Better yet, just stick to water as your primary beverage. Try looking at a tall glass of cranberry-raspberry juice as a treat, just like you would view a soda, and stick to whole fruits the majority of the time.
• Wait at least 30 minutes after eating any fruit before brushing your teeth. The immediate softening of the enamel from the fruit is temporary; it bounces back after the fruit’s sugars and acids are gone. You want to wait until your enamel has recovered before brushing, because brushing softened enamel can cause further damage and encourage tooth erosion.
• Drink fluoridated water; it helps maintain enamel integrity. Bottled water is not typically fluoridated, but tap water is. Bottled water may or may not contain fluoride.

When it comes to fruit, it doesn’t have to be all or nothing. At Beckham Square Family Dental, we’re glad to help you make smart choices about your diet, your personal oral care, and maintaining your regular exams and cleanings. With quality care from Beckham Square Family Dental, you can protect the health of your whole body, not just your mouth.